


bow down to her majesty

by Sweetsourwolf



Category: The Queen's Gambit (TV), the Queen's Gambit
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27425968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetsourwolf/pseuds/Sweetsourwolf
Summary: After dethroning him, Beth still can't seem to let go.
Relationships: Beth Harmon/Vasily Borgov
Comments: 19
Kudos: 168





	bow down to her majesty

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am once again with the heavy handed themes, so can someone else contribute to this pairing next so the poor shipper don't have to be subjected to whatever I'm trying to do here lol  
> Also I apologize in advance if you have to use google translate for some of this (it's not that important really, you might get the gist anyway), but I finally had an excuse to forcefully put in some Russian. Cheers!

_“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”_

― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

She’d gotten used to visions of the board. Some people counted sheep, she envisioned chess strategies.

She figured her way was more productive.

Even after her most recent win, crowning herself as the world champion she still ran through the game in her head.

She imagined what could’ve gone differently, what she’d done right, what she could’ve done wrong.

Benny had told her to go out and celebrate. And she’d certainly done that. But this was another form of enjoyment for her, a way to grow, to get even stronger.

She had a title to defend from now on. She was tired, but there was always time to reflect on her moves. 

And her most recent matches with the masters had proven to be quite the lessons.

Beth kept it up until she felt her eyelids drooping, her body sinking more and more into the comfort of the hotel bed. 

The chequered board morphed into a floor with black and white squares. Someone took her hand and lifted her up. She’d felt those fingers grasp hers before.

Borgov stood in the middle of the floor, tall and broad shouldered. He was dressed in black. Beth wore white.

He grasped her hand in his and led her down the dance floor, Beth following, wide eyed and excited, her heart fluttering to the rhythm of the music.

It was comfortable for them to fall back into this well known routine. This push and pull.

Every step mirroring each other almost to a fault. They’d set the pace, all everyone else had to do was follow.

But they’d be unconcerned if anyone else could keep up in this world that they’d claimed.

Beth laughed, wild and carefree as he spun her around, her auburn hair bouncing, her feet jumping effortlessly from square to square.

She felt elegant, graceful, like royalty. Borgov returned her smile as he pulled her closer, the warmth of his touch an almost scorching presence on the small of her back. 

The scene changed then, and they entered a snowy landscape. They were both still dressed in their respective colours, but now their clothes reflected the harsh Russian winter.

 _Harsh, but beautiful,_ Beth thought.

They were surrounded by birch trees, high and thin, endlessly rising up to the sky, resembling silent spectators. 

Snow fell, gathered around their still moving feet like a thick chilly blanket. Beth winced when the icy drops landed on her flushed cheeks and lashes.

Borgov carefully wiped them away with his gloved hand, his fingers resting for a fleeting moment at the corner of her mouth.

“Снегурочка?" he asked. Beth frowned, not recognizing the word. 

“A Snow Maiden,” he translated.

Beth smirked, feeling flattered by the comparison but not entirely agreeing. “No,” she said, shaking her head in return. “ _Королева_ ”.

“Ну конечно,” he agreed, impressed as ever. “Ваше величество.” 

Borgov took both her hands in his and kissed them, looking down upon her like a most precious jewel.

She beamed, the warmth of his kiss spreading to the rest of her body. Beth remembered when he'd hugged her immediately after their game. 

He had seemed not only exceedingly proud but also enthralled by her, as if he'd happily bow down and pray at her altar. Pay tribute to her.

_Good._

She after all had an insatiable appetite.

  
  


Beth awoke abruptly, her eyes trying to get used to the darkness of the room. She got out of bed, thinking she’d go out to get some fresh air to clear her head.

Wrapping her coat around her shoulders, she opened the door to step outside when she noticed something she’d almost stepped on. 

Lying on her doorstep was a black chess piece. Beth glanced around but the hall was deserted.

She kneeled down to pick up the carefully placed queen.

Beth grasped it tightly, the object digging into the palm of her hand, just to make sure she wasn’t still dreaming.

And there was just the ghost of a long lost touch gracing her face.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> (why do I now want to write a second part to his where she returns the queen)


End file.
